Over the weekend a devastating 7.3 magnitude earth quake hit the Iran/Iraq border destroying towns and villages and killing over 500 victims.

Iran’s western province of Kermanshah suffered the most, where hundreds of victims were killed and thousands more injured and left homeless.

Kermanshah is a rural mountainous and impoverished region with a large Kurdish population, and a high unemployment rate. Perhaps this is not surprising given Islamic Regime’s animosity towards the Kurds in Iran.

The Kurdish population in Iran has always been a vocal and active voice against the Regime in Iran, and has faced the consequences of systematic persecution over the last 37 years.
The tragic news of the earthquake in the region of Kermanshah has been devastating for millions of Iranians both inside and outside of Iran. Knowing that hundreds of people have lost their lives and so many more are injured and homeless in the middle of winter is completely heartbreaking.

What is even more tragic is the fact that given the Regime’s corruption and lack of concern for its citizens it’s almost impossible to find reliable organizations to make donations for the victims of this tragedy. I think it also goes without saying that the Regime will NOT go out of its way to help the Kurds.

Further alarming news from Sarpol-e Zahab, a city that was devastated by the earthquake states that homes that were built by the government were destroyed during the quake while homes that were privately built were much less damaged.

I am not surprised by this news. The corrupt Regime in Iran has no care or concern for its citizens and it’s not surprising that the government and its corrupt officials would cut corners and risk the lives of less fortunate people in order to pad their own greedy pockets.

My thoughts are with the victims of this earthquake and hope they will be able to receive the help they need.

The horrific terrorist act in Edmonton on Saturday, which let 1 police officer and 4 civilians injured has left many Canadians including myself angry and in shock.

As someone whose family was forced to flee a radicalized Islamic dictatorship in Iran over 30 years ago, I am deeply saddened to see that the same type of radicalization is now starting to take root in Canada. I have called Canada home for over 25 years, happy in the belief that I live in a secular democracy with a clear division between Government and Religion.

Unfortunately in the past few years I've seen the rise of radical Islam in Canada on more than one occasion. I've witnessed Al-Quds demonstrations, year after year in Toronto, on Queens Park grounds no less, where many demonstrators openly call for the destruction of Israel, spread hate about the Jewish people and hold up pictures and praise Islamic radical dictators such as Khomeini and Hassan Nasrallah. I've also watched with great concern and trepidation the soft stand the Justin Trudeau has taken toward radicalized Islamic dictatorships in Iran and Saudi Arabia.

The terrorist attack in Edmonton unfortunately seems to point to the fact that we are starting to have a "radicalization" problem in Canada which is extremely serious and extremely dangerous. It is important for us Canadians to first recognize and admit that we do have a problem that needs to be addressed, and to find reasonable and effective means to combat this problem.

I strongly believe the Muslim Community can play a very important and positive role in both condemning the terrorist attack and also by implementing steps that will ensure people in the Muslim Community do not become radicalized. These steps could include closer monitoring of what is being thought and discussed in mosques, other places of worship and religious schools in Canada. It could include condemnation of Al-Quds and other similar protests where the message of hate is spread, and also by ensuring that the message of love, respect and acceptance is spread at every opportunity and especially among the younger Muslim generation.

Of course the Muslim Community cannot combat this problem alone, and needs the support and the understanding of the Canadian Government, law enforcement agencies, the media, educators and all Canadians to ensure radicalization does not take root in Canada.

My thoughts are with the victims of this senseless terror attack, their friends and family and the people of Edmonton. I hope this shocking and brutal act will serve as a catalyst for us to recognize that we do have a problem and we need to face it head on.

After a decades long fight by women and male Saudi activists, the Saudi dictatorship has been forced to take a step back, and give the hard won right to drive to women of Saudi Arabia.

After decades of Saudi activists both men and women fighting for the right of women to be able to drive in Saudi Arabia, they have finally won! The Saudi dictatorship has been forced to take a step back from its oppressive laws and give women the hard fought right to drive. Until now Saudi Arabia was the only country in the world that did not allow women to drive! This is a great victory for the women of Saudi, I am so proud and humbled by their dedication and persistence in the face of persecution to obtain the what is rightfully theirs.

Women of Saudi are a great inspiration and a ray of hope to the women in Iran who have led their own decades long fight against the Islamic dictatorship in Iran. Over the last three (3) decades women of Iran supported by many Iranian men have forced the government to take steps back and make concessions that they would not have made otherwise.

I am inspired by all these brave women and can only hope to be as brave and strong as they are.

I have just been alerted to the case of Ms. Neda Amin, an Iranian blogger who has been residing in Turkey for the past two years and has had refugee status. It has come to my attention that the Turkish Government is threatening to deport Ms. Amin back to Iran on August 5th 2017! Ms. Amin has been blogging for the Persian edition of Times of Israel for the past two years as well as writing on her personal blog about the situation in Iran.

Given Ms. Amin's affiliation with Times of Israel she faces grave danger is she deported to Iran.

The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs has created an online campaign to support Ms. Amin. Please find the link to the Online Campaign HERE

As well the organization Change.org has created an online petition to support Ms. Amin. Please find the link to the petition HERE

For a full article on Ms. Amin's background and current situation please refer to THIS ARTICLE on the UNWATCH.org

If Ms. Amin is deported this may lead to Erdogan's Government deporting more and more Iranian and other refugee's which would lead to a very tragic end.

This is an urgent matter as Ms. Amin is scheduled to be deported on August 5th 2017! Please act as soon as possible!

Sayeh Hassan is an Iranian-Canadian Lawyer, blogger and Pro-Democracy Activist

To Fool the Rain is a beautifully written book that depicts the lives of Heiti’s poorest, with a specific focus on women who work hard every day to create a better life for themselves and their families.

Author Steven Werlin takes a lot of care in telling the stories of women who live in the worst kind of poverty imaginable, sometimes not having any money or food and being in the heartbreaking position of not being able to feed their children or send them to school.

While the circumstances of these women are sad and sometimes even tragic, the book and the stories of the women portrayed in this book are uplifting and full of hope.

Werlin writes in detail about “Fonkoze” a small loan program which gives Heiti’s poorest a chance to make a better life for themselves, not only by giving them small loans to start a business, but by giving them training, teaching them necessary skills, and providing them with mentors and case workers who will support them and help them succeed.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading the stories of these women, their determination and motivation for change and creating a better life for themselves and their families. As well I found the information about “Fonkoze” extremely helpful and eye opening, and would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in learning about practical ways of helping those less fortunate, not by giving them charity or hand outs, but by providing them with lifelong skills and knowledge as well as the means to start a small business to create a sustainable and better life.

Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, Iran's ex-President and one of the founders of the Islamic Dictatorship in Iran has died!

Hashemi Rafsanjani died of a heart attack today at the age of 82. Rafsanjani was one of the most hated political figures in Iran, involved in the presecution, torture and execution of tens of thousands of political dissidents over the past three (3) decades.

Rafsanjani's role within the Islamic Regime in Iran was always very dominant and prominent, whether through serving on the Assembly of Experts from 2007-2011, serving on the Expediency Discernment Council, or serving as Islamic Regime's President from 1989 to 1997, when some of the most atracious human rights violations in Iran took place.

It should be noted that Rafsanjani was also the de facto commander-in-chief of the Iranian military during the eight year Iran Iraq war in which an estimated 1 million Iranians were killed!

Rafsanjani's crimes against the people of Iran are too many to count, Rafsanjani was a hateful Islamic Dictator who has left behind a legacy of persecution, blood, war and death. He will not be missed.

Time Shift is a smart, funny and thrilling science fiction novel filled with lovable and relatable characters.

Author Kris Trudeau weaves a seamless story between four different time zones and more than 10 main characters. I absolutely loved all the attention to details in the story, including description of various “future” tools, cars, machines and equipment and the different way things are done in the future, including machine delivery pizza. The details give this book a very realistic feel even though quite a bit of the story is set in 2095 and 2097.

Another engaging part of this novel is the characters. Even though there are quite a few characters in this book, the author takes her time and does a wonderful job of developing a story line for each character, including a past history, believable story line and fascinating personalities to match. While reading this novel I felt connected to many of the characters both male and female and found myself rooting for them throughout the story.

While I am generally not a science fiction fan, I can honestly say I enjoyed this book thoroughly and had a hard time putting it down. There is enough in the book, with different relationships and different story lines that can draw in anyone who likes to read a good story with many twists and turns.

I highly recommend this book and looking forward to Kris Trudeau’s future novels!

Serious Health Concerns for Arash Sadeghi after a 42 day Hunger Strike!

Arash Sadeghi and his wife Golrokh Ebrahimi Iraee must be freed immediately and unconditionally!

Arash Sadeghi is an Iranian human rights activist who is currently serving a 15 year prison sentence on trumped up charges of “spreading propaganda against the system” and “insulting the founder of the Islamic Republic.” In reality Arash is a human rights activist who has been arrested, tortured and imprisoned for his peaceful human rights activities.

Aras Sadeghi’s wife Golrokh Ebrahimi Iraee is also a political prisoner who is serving a six year prison sentence at the notorious Evin prison for “insulting Islamic sanctities”. Golrokh is a peaceful activist and a writer, and the true reason for her imprisonment is an unpublished story she wrote about stoning in Iran.

42 days ago Arash Sadeghi went on a hunger strike in protest to the arrest and imprisonment of his wife. There are some unconfirmed reports that Arash was able to hear Golrokh being tortured in a cell nearby. According to reports coming in from activists in Iran Arash’s health is deteriorating at an alarming rate, and prison officials have had no choice but to transfer him to a hospital outside of the prison.

It is sad and disappointing to see this young and brave couple be sentenced to a combined 21 years of prison in the brutal Evin prison, for their peaceful human rights activities, while the Canadian Liberal Government turns a blind eye to this atrocity and considers re-establishing its political ties with the Islamic Regime in Iran.

Arash Sadeghi, Golrokh Ebrahimi and all other political prisoners in Iran must be released IMMEDIATELY and UNCONDITIONALLY. Canada must start to hold the Islamic Regime in Iran accountable for the violent human rights abuses it carries out on a systematic basis.

Mousavi Ardebili, a founding member of the Islamic Republic Party and a close friend to Khomeini (the butcher of Iran) died this week in Iran at the age of 90.

Mousavi Ardebili was appointed as Chief Justice of Iran in 1981 and remained Chief Justice until 1989. Ardebili was a key perpetrator in the 1988 massacre of thousands of Iranian political prisoners, who were subjected to 10 minute mock trials behind closed doors, and were summarily executed.
Ardebili’s support and complacency for the mass murder of thousands of political prisoners was confirmed in a letter written by Ali Montazeri to Khomeini (the butcher of Iran) which stated:

“This situation with Mr. Mousavi Ardebili whom I know to be more liberal than others, he said in the Friday prayer that all of them must be executed…And then people chant during the Friday prayers that the Monafegin (Mujahedin) prisoners much be executed.”

It should be noted that Montazeri himself was a founder and a key figure in the Islamic Republic Party, and a designated successor to the “Supreme Leader” Khomeini. In fact between 1985 and 1989 he served as the “Deputy Supreme Leader”, and was arguably the second most powerful person in the country, yet he did not stop or interfere with the massacre of thousands of political prisoners, many of whom had already served their prison sentences.

While many Reformists consider both Ardebili and Montazeri as figures who opposed the 1988 Iranian Massacre, it is crucial to remember their positions within the government, and the power they possessed at the time these atrocities took place. While some groups might want to “re-write” history, we will not forget the role Ardebili and Montazeri played in one of the most heinous crimes against humanity in modern history.

Sayeh Hassan, Iranian Canadian Lawyer and Chairwoman of Marze Por Gohar Movement
Down with the Islamic Regime in Iran

Statement of Sayeh Hassan , the New Chairwoman of the MPG Resistance Movement

It is with great pleasure that I announce my election as the Chairwoman of the Marzepogohar Resistance Movement of Iran (MPG).

When I decided to become a political activist and fight against the Islamic dictatorship some 15 years ago, I was quite inexperienced; however, there were certain principles that were engrained in me and I knew I would never compromise.

I believed and still do, that Iran needs to become a Secular Republic, that the Islamic Regime in Iran must be overthrown by the people of Iran without any foreign military interference, and that the Iranian people must be able to choose their own path. Lastly, I have always been proud of our history and our ancient Lion and Sun flag which I have named my blog after.

Having armed myself with these principles I started searching for people or organizations that had similar beliefs, hopes and dreams for Iran, and that’s when I discovered and joined the Marzeporgohar Movement (formerly, MPG Party) in 2003. After a few years I was promoted to the Head of the Human Rights Committee where I focused on bringing awareness about the human rights situation in Iran.

Over the past 15 years of my activism, I have never come across a political party, movement or organization whose ideals, goals and dreams align with mine the way it has with Marzeporgohar and the wonderful, smart and hard working people who have made this organization what it has become.

That is why I feel privileged to have been elected as the Chairwoman of the Marzepogohar Movement, and I look forward to following in the steps of Roozbeh Farahanipour, the founder and the outgoing Marzeporgohar Chairman, who with his hard work, dedication and the love he has for Iran and Iranians, has been able to make the Marzeporgohar Movement a real threat to the Theocratic dictatorship in Iran.

I have every intention of using my expertise as a Criminal Defence Lawyer and my experience as a political activist and blogger to ensure that we continue in the path towards success which can only be realized by the overthrow of the Islamic Regime in Iran and the establishment of a secular and democratic republic.

Among the things I would love to see us accomplish in the next year are the development of an extensive English website where we can reach out to the younger Iranian generation living abroad who may not be fluent in reading or writing in Farsi, as well as promoting our movement in Canada and European Countries where they may not be as familiar with the Marzeporgohar Movement as they are in Iran and in the United States. I would like to see us building similar connections, both politically and through the media in other countries, as we currently have in the United States.

I strongly believe that the path to political success will come from the involvement and support of the younger Iranian generation both inside and outside of Iran. To that end, we must make greater use of social media including Telegram, Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, Youtube, Skype and other available and popular Apps in Iran, in order to ensure that we are connected to the younger generation, to guarantee that they can hear us, and most importantly that We can HEAR THEM.

I look forward to working with all Marzeporgohar members to take the Marzeporgohar Movement to the Next Level and ever closer to the overthrow of the Islamic Regime in Iran and the rebuilding of our beautiful mother country

Golrokh Ebrahimi Iraee, a young Iranian activist and writer was arrested on October 24th after the Islamic authorities violently raided her home and broke her front door.

According to Amnesty International and other news sources she has been transferred to the notorious Evin Prison to serve a six (6) year prison sentence on charges of “insulting Islamic sanctities.”
Ms. Ebrahimi-Iraee’s husband Arash Sadeghi, a human rights activist and a political prisoner has started a hunger strike to protest her arrest.

Golrokh Ebrahimi Iraee is one many female Iranian activists and writers how have been arrested recently on trumped up charges, subjected to unfair trials behind closed doors with no due process and imprisoned.

Canada must condemn Islamic Regime’s systematic arrest of peaceful political activists and writers and condemn these brutal human rights violations. It’s crucial for Canada not to turn a blind eye to the Islamic Regime’s brutality and arrest of innocent young people who carry out their activism in a peaceful matter, especially while considering renewing diplomatic relations with this Islamic dictatorship, and re-opening their embassy in Ottawa.

The Iranian authorities must immediately and unconditionally release writer and human rights activist Golrokh Ebrahimi Iraee, following her arrest today, Amnesty International urged.

Despite the fact that no official summons has been issued, Golrokh Ebrahimi Iraee’s home was raided this morning by officials, who violently broke through her front door before taking her to Evin Prison in Tehran. It appears that she has been taken to the women’s ward to begin serving her six-year sentence. She has been convicted of charges including “insulting Islamic sanctities,” for writing an unpublished story about the horrific practice of stoning in Iran. Golrokh Ebrahimi Iraee’s husband, Arash Sadeghi, a human rights activist and prisoner of conscience, has since started a hunger strike in protest at her imprisonment.

“Golrokh Ebrahimi Iraee is the latest young writer and activist to be caught up in Iran’s relentless crackdown on artistic expression. Her imprisonment for peacefully voicing her opposition to stoning is a terrible injustice and an outrageous assault on freedom of expression. It is also a shocking and deeply disturbing display of support for the cruel and inhuman punishment of stoning,” said Magdalena Mughrabi, Deputy Director for the Middle East and North Africa at Amnesty International.

“The Iranian authorities must break this cycle of injustice and immediately and unconditionally release Golrokh Ebrahimi Iraee. We also urge them to ensure that her conviction is quashed.”

The unpublished fictional story, for which Golrokh Ebrahimi Iraee has been convicted of “insulting Islamic sanctities”, describes the emotional reaction of a young woman who watches the film The Stoning of Soraya M - which tells the true story of a young woman stoned to death for adultery - and becomes so enraged that she burns a copy of the Qur’an.

The story was discovered by authorities when Golrokh Ebrahimi Iraee was arrested together with her husband, Arash Sadeghi, who is currently serving a 15-year prison sentence in Evin Prison on charges including “spreading propaganda against the system”, “gathering and colluding against national security” and “insulting the founder of the Islamic Republic”, which stem from his peaceful human rights activities.

On 6 September 2014 both were arrested at Arash Sadeghi’s workplace in Tehran by men believed to be Revolutionary Guards. The men showed no arrest warrant, but took the couple back to their home, where they proceeded to search through their possessions and found the story which Golrokh Ebrahimi had written.

Arash Sadeghi was subsequently moved to Evin prison while Golrokh Ebrahimi Iraee was transferred to a secret location. She was detained there for one night before also being transferred to Evin prison, where she was held for 20 days without access to her family, a lawyer or a court. Her first three days were spent in solitary confinement.

During her detention, Golrokh Ebrahimi Iraee was subjected to extended interrogations, where she was blindfolded and warned she could face execution for “insulting Islam”. In the next cell she could hear her husband being threatened and verbally abused by his interrogators. Arash Sadeghi has since stated that he was punched in the head, kicked, slapped and choked while in custody.

Golrokh Ebrahimi Iraee was tried and sentenced to six years imprisonment in two brief sessions by a Revolutionary Court in Tehran. She had no legal representation at the trial. The first lawyer she appointed was put under pressure by intelligence and security officials to withdraw from the case, and the second was barred from reading her court case and representing her. She was not given the chance to speak in her own defence, because the first session was focused on her husband’s activism. At the second session she was in hospital recovering from major surgery and could not be present; she provided the court with her medical records, but her request to adjourn the hearing was rejected.

Earlier this month Golrokh Ebrahimi Iraee received a phone call from the Centre for the Implementation of Sentences ordering her to present herself to Evin Prison to begin serving her six-year prison sentence, and threatening that if she did not she would be picked up on the street or her house would be raided. However, she was never served with a formal summons.

“Golrokh Ebrahimi is being punished for the peaceful exercise of her human rights. But the crime at the root of this case is Iran’s ongoing retention of the horrific practice of stoning, which amounts to torture. Instead of doggedly intimidating and imprisoning critical voices, the authorities should abolish this cruel punishment once and for all,” said Magdalena Mughrabi.

“Unraveled: Obamacare, Religious Liberty, and Executive Power” is a comprehensive book on Obamacare with in-depth discussions about the issues that led some groups to support it while others vehemently opposed it.

The book is expertly divided into eight (8) sections making it easy to follow and comprehend. Given the limited knowledge I had about Obamacare prior to reading Josh Blackman’s book I found section I-IV most useful for my purposes, as these sections gave an excellent overview of both legal and political issues related to Obamacare.

The first section “The Promise of Obamacare” discusses the birth of the bill and the legal issues that plagued it almost immediately. Part II “Conscience and Contraception” is probably one of the most interesting chapters with a focus on the controversial issues of abortion, contraception and the initial rejection of Obamacare by pro-life democrats.

Part III “shutdowns discusses Obama’s difficulty with the implementation of Obamacare and the problems surround the HealthCare.gov. website, while Part IV focuses on the time period between October 1st 2013 and December 30ths 2013 with a deeper look at the technical difficulties surrounding HealthCare.gov including the fact that only six (6) people were able to register on the first day that the website was launched.

As a criminal defence lawyer and a human rights advocate for me the most fascinating aspect of “Unraveled” was the deliberation surrounding the freedom of religion debate including the case law that was reviewed in detail and helped shed light on the issue as a whole.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in Obamacare, even those with very limited knowledge, as Josh Blackman has managed to write a book that is both detailed, comprehensive and at the same time easy to follow and understand.

About This Writer

Sayeh Hassan is a criminal defense lawyer with Walter Fox & Associates and an Iranian Pro-Democracy activist. She is the author of the shiro-khorshid-forever blog (www.shiro-khorshid-forever.blogspot.com) which focuses on the pro-democracy movement and Regime Change in Iran. Through her pro-democracy activities she stays in close contact with activists in Iran as well as retaining contacts with various human rights and pro-democracy organizations abroad. She regularly speaks at conferences, has appeared on television and radio programs and her writing has been published by publications such as National Post, Toronto Star & Ottawa Citizen. She can be contacted at sayehhassan30@gmail.com